- I’ve seen some buzz about this book and was thrilled when I saw it go up on Netgalley.
- I’m a big fan of translated literature.
- Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
- The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Summary from GoodReads:
In the Basque Country in northern Spain, just before the Civil War, three men in dinner suits stop for a drink at a bar before continuing on their way to a wedding. Their trip is interrupted when their leader, the wealthy Don Leopoldo, has a stroke in the restroom.This event, bizarre and undignified though it is, begins to weave together the lives of two remarkable women: the bride, the beautiful and distinguished Isabel Cruces, and María Antonia Etxarri, the bar owner’s adolescent daughter. Shortly after the outbreak of the war, María Antonia is raped and Isabel’s newlywed husband, Captain Julen Herraiz, is shot. Both women find themselves violently altered, alone, and pregnant. A crippled but wise local doctor is the only witness to the mysterious, silent agreement these women conclude in the loneliness and desperation of their mutual suffering. Many years later, a young student, grandson to Isabel, returns to the scene of the events to spend an innocent summer studying for law exams. As he goes about his work, he unwittingly awakens the ghosts haunting both María Antonia and the doctor, and through their memories the passionate stories of the past unfurl before the reader.
De Lope brilliantly reveals his incredible story through flashes of memory and emotion, told in a winding torrent that expresses the cumulative nature of both history and nostalgia.
My Review:
When I started to read this book I was worried that I’d tackled it too soon after reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. The Wrong Blood was also a “steak” of a book and Manuel de Lope created a beautifully written story that translated incredibly well.
The story centers are three main people, Maria Antonia Etxarri, the daughter of a former innkeeper from a nearby town; Dr. Felix Castro, a young, crippled doctor; and Isabel Cruces Herraiz, the bride (and later widow) of a young officer, all living in the village of Hondarribia.
Miguel Goitia, a young notary student (law) arrives and stays at his grandmother’s inn and, with his arrival, all three characters are pulled in to the story with a common bond.
Like I mentioned previously, the writing is truly a beautiful thing. The story, although confusing as the players are set in place, everything is put into place with a precision that took my breath away.
There were a few aspects of the book that disappointed me, I was able to see through some of the plot advancements, but overall – a worthwhile read and another book to put on my favorites of translated literature.
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